Ministry says all but four submitters favour 'a minerals strategy'

Tuesday, 1 October 2024

Resources Minister Shane Jones confronted climate protesters in Wellington, sparking a fiery exchange over the Government's reversal of the oil and gas ban. Protesters called Jones a 'climate denier,' while he accused them of being 'extreme.'

ANALYSIS: The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment is brushing off the suggestions it has put a spin on a summary of the submissions the Government received in response to its proposed Minerals Strategy.

Almost all of the 102 submissions the Government received on the strategy broadly supported the idea of “a minerals strategy”, according to a summary released by the ministry (MBIE) on Monday.

It indicated only four were entirely opposed to the actual strategy the Government has drafted, classing the other 98 submissions as “supportive with suggested changes”.

That level of broad support would appear surprising, given 17 of the submissions came from environmental and community groups, and another seven from iwi, hapū and other Māori groups.

However, MBIE resource policy manager Hannah Keat said it stood by its summarisation.

The ministry’s write-up of the submissions it had received indicated the changes asked for or demanded by those it classed as “supportive” were far from trivial.

The overall objective of the strategy is to double the sector’s exports to $2 billion by 2035, through policies such as the Fast Track Approvals Bill, drafting a “critical minerals list”, and attracting more foreign investment.

Resources Minister Shane Jones confronted anti-oil protesters on Lambton Quay on Monday.

The environmental and community groups suggested excluding coal, seabed mining and the Fast Track Approvals Bill from the strategy and described a need for “proper democratic process and public participation in decision-making”, MBIE said.

Those views were “consistent” with another 13 submissions the ministry received from academics, independent experts and researchers, it said.

Most of the 29 individuals, consultants, and business owners that made submissions also wanted to see coal, seabed mining and the Fast Track Approvals Bill excluded from the strategy, it noted.

MBIE has released a “summary of submissions” received in response to the Government’s draft Crown Minerals Strategy, but not yet the submissions themselves.

The majority of those submitters also supported “greater emphasis on environmental protection and managing the trade-offs of mining” and greater involvement of the public and iwi and hapū to honour the Crown’s obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi.

Core support for the strategy appears to have come from the 22 “industry participants” and their representatives, although a number of them said it should emphasise Māori interests in mining and the contribution of Māori to the industry, MBIE said.

The ministry has yet to release the names of the individuals and organisations who made submissions, meaning its overall characterisation of their position can’t be verified.

MBIE resource policy manager Hannah Keat said the submissions would not be released in full while they remained under active consideration.

Resources Minister Shane Jones — who was in the thick of it confronting people protesting against oil and gas exploration on Lambton Quay in Wellington on Monday — focussed on the ministry’s headline finding.

That showed the Government’s export-led focus had “obviously struck a chord with submitters”, he said.

Jones described submitters as being “broadly supportive of our proposal subject to further amendments”.

MBIE said the submissions it had received would help inform revisions to the strategy.

“Once revised, the strategy will be presented to Cabinet and will be finalised before the end of the year.”